Routine Activities and Urban Homicides

Abstract

This study examined the victim-offender relationship and location of occurrence of homicides in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for the years 1987 to 1992. A routine activities approach was used as a theoretical framework for interpreting homicides in this city. The sociodemographic variables of age, sex, and employment status and the temporal variable of season of the year were found to be the strongest predictors of homicide victimization. These results were compared with those of a similar study by Messner and Tardiff of homicides in Manhattan (a borough of New York City). Overall, the findings provide further, although limited, support for the routine activities approach as a means of examining urban homicides.

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